The chairman of high street retail giant Next has spoken of his disappointment after planners recommended refusal of a new £4.3 million flagship store in Dundee.
Councillors will decide next week whether to give the green light to Next’s proposed new home and garden outlet at Kingsway West Retail Park the central plank of a wider £7m redevelopment for the popular out-of-town retail park which would create 85 jobs.
It emerged that Next chairman Lord Simon Wolfson had personally written to city development director Mike Galloway to express concerns about the planning department’s recommendation to refuse the application on the basis it could prove detrimental to trade in the city centre.
The businessman believed the new store was an “exciting proposal” that would benefit the city, and said he was happy to fly to Dundee to discuss the situation in person as “it is not just a question of a single store but the principle of economic growth being stifled by what is, in our experts’ opinion, an unnecessarily restrictive interpretation of planning rules”.
He said: “I am both surprised and disappointed for Dundee by your refusal to support the application.
“The decision will not only lose a fantastic new store, it will also destroy 85 jobs and deprive the city of Dundee of much needed investment of £4.3 million.
“The decision is even more surprising given the public support for the applications our public exhibitions showing 94% of support for the new store development, with 96% of those saying they would continue to make frequent visits to the city centre.
“Our city centre store will remain a very successful trading store, and Next has already given a commitment here well into the next decade.
“Indeed our proposals are being supported by the owners of the city centre Overgate Centre, Land Securities, who own both the Overgate and the Kingsway West Retail Park.
“It seems to me that the planning department view is at odds with the views of both the people of Dundee and the major stakeholders within the city.”
The new store has the backing of local business organisation Dundee and Angus Chamber of Commerce.
President Jim Pickett said: “Next have confirmed they are fully committed to their long-term future at the Overgate Centre.
“This further investment for the Kingsway, to allow Next to sell a small element of clothes, surely has to be common sense since all the Kingsway supermarkets already sell their own ranges.
“We do not want to let this proposed scheme slip from our grasp and I would urge those on the planning committee to send out the right signals that Dundee is open for business.”
In recommending refusal, the planners stated: “The council has operated a policy of maintaining a balance between the city centre/district centres and the out-of-centre retail parks for the past 20 years. This has been achieved through the imposition of planning obligations restricting the goods that could be sold at the retail parks to those of a more bulky nature.
“This policy approach has seen the retail parks operate at almost 100% capacity without having a significant detrimental impact on the city or district centres.
“The current amendments proposed to the planning obligation would result in a significant shift in the policy approach to the retail parks.”
A spokesperson for Dundee City Council said: “We can confirm we have received the letter and have told Next that they will have an opportunity to address the development management committee on Monday night if the committee agrees to them doing so. Ultimately, the decision of the application is for the members of the committee to make.”
Related proposals for alterations to the building occupied by Harveys and the demolition of the current Pagazzi lighting store to allow the creation of two new retail units have both been recommended for approval at the same meeting.